Tech puzzle: Just what features do drivers want?

Carmakers' challenge is to understand, not ask

Customer use of GM's OnStar RemoteLink mobile app has increased each year since it launched in 2010 for the Chevrolet Volt.

A J.D. Power study caused a buzz by saying that many drivers aren't using the new technologies that automakers are investing billions in.

Power's first Driver Interactive Vehicle Experience Report, released in August, said at least 20 percent of new-vehicle owners never use 16 of the 33 technology features it measured. But some automakers view that as a positive.

"The headline is '20 percent of people don't use certain features.' That means 80 percent of them do!" said Phil Abram, GM's executive director of connectivity. "To be hitting at 80 percent? Holy cow!

"I loaded up TVs with all kinds of features -- I used to run the TV business for Sony in the U.S. If we had a 50 percent hit rate, we were skipping down the hallways. I'm really happy with 80 percent."

Likewise, Cason Grover, Hyundai's senior group manager of cross-carline planning, said the automaker already has "taken out the items that are the easy ones to give up."

Still, the study highlights one of the toughest challenges in the infotainment space: How do automakers decide which features to offer?

Infotainment presents a delicate balancing act for automakers. They want to stand out from the pack with pioneering features without overly complicating things for motorists. Yet they can't turn to consumers for a detailed forecast of what the future of infotainment should look like.

GM's Abram says automakers must understand how people live, not simply ask them what they want -- because, with new technology, people may not be able to fathom exactly what they want.

"Innovations that change the behavior of the customer -- those tend to be the ones that define great products and great innovations," he said. "You own it, and now you do things differently than you did before because of that.

"You can't ask people that because they can't imagine that new world. But once you give it to them, it goes from 'Why do I need it?' to 'I can't live without it.'"

Doling out new infotainment perks requires extensive probing that includes internal research with focus groups and test trials, along with consultants' studies. Some automakers collect insights from telematics services to spot trends. Grover said Hyundai always has an eye on the competition to see who's moving first to market with certain capabilities.

"We look at the capability of our current system," he said. "Sometimes, we can add things in the middle of a life cycle. Other times, we need to wait until the next generation."

Observations and telematics

Observing consumers firsthand is one way get in touch with their lifestyles. Abram says GM has researchers ride along with people around the globe.

"[We're] seeing how they use their car pre-journey, journey and post-journey," Abram said. "With connected vehicles, the customer's experience doesn't begin and end when the door closes. It extends beyond that."

The evolution of services for the OnStar RemoteLink mobile app, launched in 2010 for the Volt before being made available across GM's lineup, is a case study in how an automaker can be proactive.

GM noticed that people who locked themselves out of their vehicles were calling OnStar thousands of times each month. So the company added the ability for owners to unlock vehicles with their phones through RemoteLink.

Remote interactions for the app, which also lets people remote start their cars and provides vehicle diagnostics, grow each year.

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Abram: "Really happy with 80 percent"

Increased use

In 2013, there were 23 million remote interactions. That number jumped to 43 million in 2014 and nearly 70 million so far in 2015. Abram says RemoteLink will come close to 100 million remote interactions this year.

"Talk about a piece of technology that people say, 'That makes sense. That makes my life easier.'" Abram said. "We don't have to ask them; they're telling us by their actions."

OnStar's blue button is a gateway into the minds of consumers that helps eliminate guessing games on what services to offer.

GM saw that motorists in search of hotels along their routes were pushing the OnStar button more than 300,000 times each year to have concierges find lodging for them. In the past, OnStar would pinpoint a hotel location, tell the driver where it was or download directions to the vehicle.

Knowing there was a need in this area, GM partnered with the Priceline.com trip-booking site so drivers could have OnStar agents make hotel reservations as part of its new AtYourService offering, unveiled in January.

OnStar can relay details on room availability, cost, amenities and ratings before booking the rooms. It also sends directions to the vehicle.

The Priceline relationship is an example of an automaker looking for fresh ways to bring relevant information and services to its customers while fostering new business opportunities, said Thilo Koslowski, vice president and lead automotive analyst at tech research firm Gartner Inc.

"Car companies are getting more creative in the sense they are really trying to understand how you can utilize this real estate you have inside of an automobile," Koslowski said.

It's also important that automakers don't try to revolutionize something that doesn't need it.

A supplier once showed Abram a voice-controlled window option in which the driver presses a button on the steering wheel and gives a roll-down command. While the feature worked, Abram said, it wasn't a great technology because it was more tedious than pushing the traditional switch.

"You try to innovate about stuff that isn't fully met, the things you see them struggle with," Abram said.

Honda conducts online surveys of new owners to see how pleased they are with certain features, said Jay Guzowski, Honda's manager of automotive product planning.

Honda sometimes puts cameras in cars to record people's interactions with interfaces, or it gives people a car for an extended period and has them keep diaries.

The 2016 Honda Accord, which features Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, shows how the automaker is listening to consumer needs. People were demanding better smartphone integration, so Honda responded by offering both platforms in the Accord when many vehicles have neither.

Hyundai sometimes does quantitative studies that bring in people for hands-on sessions with prototype navigation units, for example. Grover says Hyundai tries to get a sufficient sample size so it can make determinations that the brand can apply across the market.

Then there's the classic focus group, in which Hyundai wants people to react to ideas.

People may not see physical prototypes during the sessions. Instead, Hyundai will show them pictures or videos of certain technologies.

"[We'll] ask, 'Does this make sense?' 'You like it?' 'How much might it be worth to you?'" Grover said.

When research is done and it's time for new, tech-laden vehicles to hit the streets, Abram says, GM has a "go-to-market" team that makes sure new capabilities are consistently presented across dealership websites, advertising and how-to guides.

Research paying off

Sometimes, the urge to innovate can backfire in the form of mediocre scores from the likes of J.D. Power and Consumer Reports.

Ford, looking to be a pioneer in the infotainment space, was slammed for years after introducing the glitchy MyFord Touch system in 2010. And now, luxury brands such as Cadillac, Infiniti and Acura are seeing reliability scores plummet thanks to complaints about infotainment offerings.

But Jake Fisher, director of automotive testing for Consumer Reports, says Ford has effectively revamped its infotainment setup. In turn, the reviews of Ford's Sync 3 system, now rolling out in 2016 models, have been more pleasant than those of its predecessor.

"A great example is Sync 3. [Ford] went through an incredible amount of research on that and user testing to make sure this thing is going to work," Fisher said. "I don't think they went through that with MyFord Touch."